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j
C -.
Artist Employment and Unemployment
(971-1980
National Endowment
for the Arts
Research Division
4
ill
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries
http://archive.org/details/artistemployment1982nati
Artist Employment and Unemployment
1971-1980
LIBRARY
VTIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE
National Endowment for the Arts. Washington. DC. * ^
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Artist employment and unemployment 1971-1980.
(Reports in the National Endowment for the
Arts Research Division series ; 16)
Supt. of Docs, no.: NF 2.12:16
1. Artists — Employment — United States.
I. National Endowment for the Arts. II. Series:
Research Division report (National Endowment for
the Arts. Research Division) ; 16.
NX504.E4 331.12'517'00973 82-600003
ISBN 0-89062-135-7 AACR2
Manufactured in the United States of America.
CONTENTS
PREFACE / 4
LIST OF TABLES / 5
LIST OF FIGURES / 5
INTRODUCTION / 6
1971-80 HIGHLIGHTS / 7
GROWTH OF THE ARTIST LABOR FORCE / 9
MALE-FEMALE COMPOSITION / 11
UNEMPLOYMENT / 13
OCCUPATIONAL OVERVIEWS / 13
Actors 14
Architects 16
Authors 18
Dancers 20
Designers 22
Musicians and composers 24
Painters and sculptors 26
Photographers 28
Radio-TV announcers 30
Teachers of art, drama, and music in higher education 32
APPENDICES / 35
APPENDIX A
DETAILED TABLES / 36
APPENDIX B
RELIABILITY OF CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) STATISTICS / 40
CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) AS A SOURCE OF ARTIST OCCUPATION DATA / 42
REPORTS IN THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS RESEARCH DIVISION SERIES / 43
PREFACE
This report examines employment and unem-
ployment in ten artist occupations during
the decade of the 19 70s as reported in the
Current Population Survey. The Current Pop-
ulation Survey (CPS) is a nationwide month-
ly sample of approximately 60,000 households
conducted by the Bureau of the Census for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Based on
the responses to this survey, employment in
over 4 00 detailed occupations, including a
number of artist occupations, is reported
annually. Since the entire sample is asked
to respond to the same set of occupational
questions, the CPS provides estimates of
employment in artist occupations which are
directly comparable to those for all other
occupations .
It must be noted that because the artist
population makes up a small portion of the
U.S. population only a small number of ar-
tists are included in the CPS sample. This
limits the statistical reliability, of
course. The national census conducted once
every ten years includes a much greater
number of artists and therefore the statis-
tical reliability is much better for the
census years. Analysis of change in the
artist labor force and employment based on
the 1970 and 1980 census is planned by the
Research Division when the 1980 census data
become available (approximately 1983) .
Meanwhile, the CPS figures tell a great
deal about artists in the U.S. labor force
if they are examined with an understanding
of their limitations.
Research Division Report #1, Employment and
Unemployment of Artists: 1970-1975 also in-
cluded CPS estimates of artist employment
and unemployment; and, beginning in Febru-
ary 1976, the Division presented annual ar-
tist employment figures based on the CPS
to the National Council on the Arts. Both
Report #1 and the annual employment figures
were accompanied by "standard error" esti-
mates to indicate data reliability and the
same information appears in Appendix B of
this report. Wherever possible the CPS da-
ta have been compared with relevant data
from other sources to confirm or help ex-
plain the tendencies that they show.
Several persons provided technical assis-
tance in the preparation of this report.
Among them are Diane Ellis, a consultant
to the Research Division, and Robert Bed-
narzik and John Stinson of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
Research Division
National Endowment for the Arts
January 1982
LIST OF TABLES
1 Labor force levels in artist occupations by sex 1971 and 1980 /page 8
2 Labor force levels in artist occupations by sex 1971-80 /page 36
3 Labor force, employment, and unemployment in artist occupations 1971-80 /page 38
4 Standard errors and confidence intervals for artist labor force, employment,
and unemployment 19 80 /page 41
LIST OF FIGURES
I Women as a percentage of labor force in artist occupations 1971 and 1980 /page 10
II Unemployment range in artist occupations 1971-80 /page 12
III Actors: employment trends 1971-80 /page 14
IV Actors: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 15
V Architects: employment trends 1971-80 /page 16
VI Architects: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 17
VII Authors: employment trends 1971-80 /page 18
VIII Authors: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 19
IX Dancers: employment trends 1971-80 /page 20
X Designers: employment trends 1971-80 /page 22
XI Designers: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 23
XII Musicians and composers: employment trends 1971-80 /page 24
XIII Musicians and composers: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 25
XIV Painters and sculptors: employment trends 1971-80 /page 26
XV Painters and sculptors: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 27
XVI Photographers: employment trends 1971-80 /page 28
XVII Photographers: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 29
XVIII Radio-TV announcers: employment trends 1971-80 /page 30
XIX Radio-TV announcers: unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 31
XX Teachers of art, drama, and music in higher education:
employment trends 1971-80 /page 32
XXI Teachers of art, drama, and music in higher education:
unemployment rate 1971-80 /page 33
INTRODUCTION
Changes in the employment and unemployment
of artists from 1971 to 1980 is the topic
of this report. Like people in other oc-
cupations, artists depend on the overall
health of the national economy in maintain-
ing gainful employment. In times of reces-
sion, unemployment in many types of artist
occupations increases. The 1973-75 reces-
sion caused a downturn in artist employ-
ment, but when the decade of the 1970s end-
ed employment levels were relatively high
in most artist occupations.
The term artist as used in this report in-
cludes people in the following occupation-
al categories as listed in the U.S. Bureau
of the Census, 1970 Census of Population
Classified Index of Industries and Occupa -
tions:
The unemployment rate is the number of art-
ists unemployed as a percent of the artist
labor force. These data do not include
such people with artists' skills who are
not in the labor force as retired persons,
those not working while in school, those
working without pay, and those not seeking
work because of personal or job market
factors. Unemployment rates for dancers
could not be reliably calculated from CPS
data because of the small number of persons
in this occupation in the sample and are
omitted from this report.
Actors
Architects
Authors
Dancers
Designers
Musicians and composers
Painters and sculptors
Photographers
Radio and television announcers
Teachers of art, drama, and music in
higher education
Otner artists not elsewhere classified
This differs from the broader Bureau of
the Census classification of "writers, ar-
tists, and entertainers" used in Research
Report #1, Employment and Unemployment of
Artists, 1970-1975. The latter classifi-
cation included such occupations as ath-
letes, reporters, editors, and publicity
writers, all of which are excluded from
consideration in this report.
The labor force of artists comprises those
people at least sixteen years old who were
employed in any of the above artist occupa-
tions and those persons previously employed
in artist occupations and currently seeking
work .
Employed artists are those who worked for
pay any time during the monthly survey
week, including the self-employed. A per-
son working at more than one job is count-
ed as an artist only if the artistic work
is the job at which he or she worked the
greatest number of hours.
Unemployed artists are those who did not
work during the survey week but were avail-
able for work and had looked for work with-
in the preceding four weeks.
1971-80 HIGHLIGHTS
• There are now over a million persons in
the artist labor force. Figures for 1980
show that 1,020,000 people identified them-
selves as employed or unemployed actors;
architects; authors; dancers; designers;
musicians/composers ; painters/sculptors ;
photographers; radio-TV announcers; teach-
ers of art, drama, and music in higher
education; and other artists not else-
where classified.
• The artist labor force grew steadily
from 1971 to 1980 and increased by 323,000
persons or 46%. This is a higher rate of
increase than the rate for all profession-
al and technical workers, which was 40% in
the same period.
• Authors increased their numbers at a high-
er rate than any other artist occupation.
They grew from 33,000 to about 71,000.
This is an increase of 115%. Radio-TV an-
nouncers were the only artists whose num-
ber declined.
• Painters/sculptors and designers are now
the largest artist occupation groups, with
nearly 200,000 members each. Although mu-
sicians/composers was the second largest
artist group in 1971, this occupation
dropped to third place by 1980, with 153,000
members reflecting a comparatively modest
growth over the decade of 21%.
• The artist labor force is now about one-
third female and two-thirds male as a re-
sult of women entering artist occupations
at twice the rate of men during the decade
of the 1970s. There are now two artist oc-
cupations which have a majority of females:
dancers and painters/sculptors. In 1971,
this was only the case for dancers.
• Unemployment rates for artists were gen-
erally lower at the end of the decade than
at the beginning. Unemployment was great-
est during the year 1975.
• Unemployment rates were higher among ar-
tists than among all professional and tech-
nical workers — the broad labor force group
with training levels most comparable to
tists. In 1980, artists averaged 4.1% un-
employment compared with 2.5% for all pro-
fessional and technical workers.
• The most chronic artist unemployment G
isted among actors, with rates during the
decade ranging between 31% and 48%. As
many as 10,000 actors were out of work in
1979. Their unemployment rate is about
nine times greater than the a e for
the other artist occupations.
Table 1
Labor force levels in artist occupations
by sex 1971 and 1980
1
Occupation
Labor force
Percentage
change
1971-80
1971
1980
All professional and
technical workers
Male
Female
11,416,000
6,933,000
4,483,000
16,008,000
8,869,000
7,137,000
+ 40%
+ 28%
+ 59%
Actors
Male
Female
Architects
Male
Female
Authors
Male
Female
Dancers
Male
Female
Designers
Male
Female
Musicians/composers
Male
Female
Painters/ sculp tors
Male
Female
Photographers
Male
Female
Radio-TV announcers
Male
Female
Teachers (higher ed. ) **
Male
Female
Other artists
Male
Female
19,000
11,000
8,000
23,000
14,000
9,000
+ 21%
+ 27%
*
70,000
67,000
3,000
92,000
86,000
6,000
+ 31%
+ 28%
*
33,000
21,000
12,000
71,000
41,000
31,000
+ 115%
+ 95%
+ 158%
10,000
1,000
9,000
12,000
2,000
10,000
+ 20%
*
*
106,000
78,000
28,000
198,000
139,000
60,000
+ 87%
+ 78%
+ 114%
126,000
82,000
45,000
153,000
108,000
44,000
+ 21%
+ 32%
- 2%
130,000
82,000
48,000
199,000
97,000
101,000
+ 53%
+ 18%
+110%
81,000
67,000
13,000
114,000
90,000
24,000
+ 41%
+ 34%
+ 85%
28,000
27,000
1,000
19,000
14,000
5,000
- 32%
- 48%
*
29,000
20,000
9,000
37,000
19,000
18,000
+ 28%
- 5%
+100%
65,000
48,000
16,000
102,000
68,000
34,000
+ 57%
+ 42%
+113%
All artists
Male
Female
697,000
504,000
192,000
1,020,000
678,000
342,000
+ 46%
+ 35%
+ 78%
Note: Male plus female labor force may not equal occupation
total due to rounding.
* Category has labor force under 10,000; data base is
too small for estimate.
** Art, drama, and music.
GROWTH OF THE ARTIST LABOR FORCE
During the 1970s decade the artist labor
force in the United States increased by
about 323,000 persons. In 19 71 there were
697,000 persons in the occupations of ac-
tors; architects; authors; dancers; design-
ers; musicians/composers; painters/sculp-
tors; photographers; radio-TV announcers;
teachers of arts, drama, and music in high-
er education; and other artist occupations
not elsewhere classified. By 1980, this
number increased to about 1,020,000. This
is a 46% increase between 1971 and 1980.
The growth of the labor force for all pro-
fessional and technical workers was 40% in
the same period.
The number of authors led the 1970s artist
labor force increase in percentage terms;
it more than doubled, rising from 33,000
in 1971 to 71,000 in 1980. Other artist
occupations which increased more than the
average were designers and painters/sculp-
tors, which grew by 92,000 and 69,000 re-
spectively. By 1980, they were also the
two largest artist occupations, with about
200,000 workers each.
The radio- TV announcer occupation was the
only one to decrease in overall labor force
size. There were 32% fewer announcers in
1980 than there were in 1971. Table 1
shows the changes in labor force size for
all artist occupations between 1971 and
1980.
Figure I
Women as a percentage of labor force in artist occupations
1971 and 1980
1
All professional and
qi
y
technical workers
4
42 \
39%
j
«*«.
4%L
~7%]
)
36%|.
44%
Dancers
90
83%P
Designers
26%|J__
30%|
Musicians/composers
36 [J
29% P
Painters/sculptors
37%l
51%
I)
Photographers
16%L
21?
3L
Radio-TV announcers
26%P
Teachers of art,
drama, and music
in higher education
31% |
49% |
(
1
>
Percent
1
15
1
30
1
45
i
60
1 I
75 90
10
MALE-FEMALE COMPOSITION
The 1970s also brought changes in the male-
female composition of the artist labor
force. As in most professions, the propor-
tion of females increased. In 1971, women
accounted for 28% of the artist labor force;
by 1980 they represented 34%, making the
composition about one-third female and two-
thirds male. Women are not as well repre-
sented in the artist occupations, however,
as they are in the total professional popu-
lation, which is now 45% female. The danc-
er occupation continues to have the high-
est proportion of women (83%) and the ar-
chitect occupation continues to have the
lowest (7%). Figure I illustrates the
change in the percentage of female artists
in each artist occupation between 1971 and
1980.
The greatest change in male- female composi-
tion occurred among painters/sculptors and
teachers of art, drama, and music in high-
er education. In 1980 the number of female
painters/sculptors surpassed the number of
men for the first time, having grown pro-
portionately from 37% to 51% in 1980. The
proportion of women also increased substan-
tially among teachers of art, drama, and
music, who now include about equal numbers
of males and females.
The proportion of women declined among com-
posers and marginally (not to a statisti-
cally significant degree) among dancers
and actors. The decrease in the percent-
age of women musician/composers is probably
a result of economic conditions during the
1970s, when their high unemployment rate
coupled with slow growth in the musicians/
composers labor force made it especially
difficult for people entering this occupa-
tion .
Overall, there was a closer balance between
the number of males and females in artist
occupations in 1980 than in 1971.
11
Figure II
Unemployment range in artist occupations 1971-80
Highest|
Average
Lowest I P
3.2%l
All professional and
2.7%p
2.2%f
Actors
39.8%P
30.5%P
1 1
35 40
.4 [
A
Architects
2.8, J
J. 6%
6.0%P
Authors
2.3%|
■ l.4%
7.6
Designers
3.6%|
■ l.8%
9.1%
J
Musicians/composers
6.9%|
3.9%|
,
'•- (
Painters/sculptors
3.9% P
2. > [J
6.7%
Photographers
4.1%P
J 1.7%
9.8%
Radio-TV announcers
5.9%
J
P. 2%
/
Teachers of art.
_ .
drama, and music
2,>|
in higher education
• ■»*
1
1
) 5
'ercent
1
V 1
30
1 1
45 50
12
UNEMPLOYMENT
During the 1971-80 decade, artists had high-
er rates of unemployment than the total of
all professional and technical workers,
among whom unemployment averaged 2.7%. Un-
employment was particularly severe for ac-
tors. Of approximately 23,000 actors re-
ported in the 1980 labor force about 8,000
were without jobs, representing an unemploy-
ment rate of 35%. No other artist occupa-
tion had an unemployment rate approaching
this figure, and the average for artists
in occupations other than acting in 1980
was 3.4%. Because of wide variations in
labor force size and employment levels, it
is important to examine each artist occupa-
tion separately. In general, however, ar-
tist unemployment rates were highest in 1975
and 1976, lowest in the 1972-73 period and
again in 1978-79. This corresponds to the
recession-recovery cycle for the general
economy during the decade. However, unem-
ployment rates for artists fluctuated more
from year to year than the rates for all
professional and technical workers , suggest-
ing that employment may be more volatile in
artist occupations. The range of artist
employment is shown in Figure II.
OCCUPATIONAL OVERVIEWS
Employment figures for the total artist pop-
ulation obscure the many variations among
the individual artist occupations. Al-
though most of the artist groups experienced
growth of labor force in 1971-80 and most
had higher than average unemployment during
recession, considerable variation existed.
Growth and employment levels in some artist
occupations, particularly in the performing
arts, were more seriously affected by na-
tional economic reverses than other artist
occupations. The trend for each artist oc-
cupation between 1971 and 1980 is present-
ed in Figures III-XXIon the following pages .
13
Figure III
Actors: employment trends 1971-80
14
The employment situation was bleak for ac-
tors throughout the 1970s. At the begin-
ning of the decade, nearly half of all ac-
tors were out of work. While unemployment
dropped to 31% by 1976, it rose again to over
35% by 1979-80. Poor employment prospects
probably contributed to the slow growth in
the actor labor force over the decade. The
actor labor force, which peaked in 1978 at
30,000, declined to about 23,000 by 1980.
Figure IV
Actors: unemployment rate 1971-80
15
Figure V
Architects: employment trends 1971-80
- 80,000
- 70,000
- 60,000
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 ' 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
- 50,000
- 40,000
- 30,000
- 20,000
- 10,000
16
The architect occupation tends to be sensi-
tive to the ups and downs of the general
economy. Unemployment peaked at 5.4% at the
height of the 1974-75 recession. A sharp
decline in the number of architects working
or seeking work followed, so that there
were fewer persons in the architect labor
force in 1977 than in 1971. However, more
than 30,000 persons (representing a 50%
increase in the labor force) entered or
reentered architect occupations between
1977 and 1980, and notwithstanding this
growth, at the end of the decade the un-
employment rate of 1.7% was one of the
lowest for artists.
Figure VI
Architects: unemployment rate 1971-80
17
Figure VII
Authors: employment trends 1971-80
80,000
I- 70,000
- 60,000
- 50,000
- 40,000
- 30,000
- 20,000
- 10,000
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 ' 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
18
The author labor force grew faster than any
other artist occupation during the 1970s —
increasing its number by 115%. Although
the unemployment rate was relatively high,
6% in 1971, it dropped gradually to less
than 2% at the end of the decade. The
1974-75 recession had only moderate effect
on work prospects — with unemployment in-
creasing to only 3.6% in 1975. This was
lower than the recession unemployment rate
for most other artist occupations, probably
reflecting the high frequency of self-employ-
ment among authors.
Figure VIII
Authors: unemployment rate 1971-80
19
Figure IX
Dancers: employment trends 1971-80
15,000
10,000
- 5,000
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
20
The number of dancers in the labor force
fluctuated considerably throughout the
decade (reflecting in part the higher
degree of error associated with the small
number of dancers in the sample) but moved
up steadily in the latter half and reached
12,000 by 1980. Unemployment rates are
not available through the use of the CPS
data because the total number of dancers
is so small. Too few dancers are repre-
sented in the survey sample to permit de-
pendable unemployment estimates.
21
Figure X
Designers: employment trends 1971-80
-140,000
120,000
-100,000
- 80,000
- 60,000
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
40,000
- 20,000
22
Designers had steady labor force gains ev-
ery year from 1971 to 1980, increasing their
numbers by a substantial 87% over the dec-
ade. By 1980 there were about 200, 000 de-
signers in the labor force. Unemployment
was relatively low during most of the peri-
od but, like most other professions, de-
signers were affected by the 1974-75 re-
cession which caused a tripling of their
unemployment rate to 7.6% in 1975. Design-
ers' employment, however, bounced back in
1976 and by 1980 only 2.6% of designers
were out of work.
Figure XI
Designers: unemployment rate 1971-80
23
Figure XII
Musicians and composers: employment trends 1971-80
160,000
-140,000
Employed + Unemployed = Labor force
-120,000
-100,000
- 80,000
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
- 60,000
- 40,000
- 20,000
24
Employment prospects seemed good for musi-
cians and composers in the early 1970s.
Despite substantial growth in the labor
force, unemployment was less than 4% in
1974. The recession affected this picture
dramatically, however, and musicians and
composers have never really recovered from
its impact. The unemployment rate, which
exceeded 9% in 1976, remained a high 6.2%
in 1980. The decreased unemployment rate
reflected a smaller number of job-seekers
rather than growth of those employed. The
number of employed musicians and composers,
which declined by 11,000 between 1977 and
1980, suggests that many abandoned the
field.
Figure XIII
Musicians and composers : unemployment rate 1971-80
25
Figure XIV
Painters and sculptors: employment trends 1971-80
Employed + Unemployed = Labor force
180,000
-160,000
-140,000
-120,000
-100,000
- 80,000
60,000
h- 40,000
1971 ' 1972 ' 1973 1974 ' 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
- 20,000
26
Painters and sculptors are the largest ar-
tist occupation group, with about 200,000
members in 1980 reflecting steady labor
force gains throughout the decade. Painters
and sculptors suffered only moderate em-
ployment setbacks from the mid-decade re-
cession, possibly because of relatively
high self-employment. The number of em-
ployed painters and sculptors decreased
by 3,000 in 1975 and the rate of unemploy-
ment reached 6.5% the following year, but
they recovered these losses in 1977 and
subsequently grew through the end of the
decade.
Figure XV
Painters and sculptors: unemployment rate 1971-80
27
Figure XVI
Photographers: employment trends 1971-80
- 60,000
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
40,000
- 20,000
28
Photographer employment and labor force lev-
els fluctuated throughout most of the dec-
ade. The photographer labor force dropped
between 1971 and 1973, then rose through
1976, dropped in 1977, and then made sub-
stantial gains. The 1974-75 recession un-
doubtedly played an important role in this
fluctuation; unemployment, which peaked at
about 6.6% in 1975-76, could have discour-
aged prospective entrants into the field.
At the end of the 1970s, photographer em-
ployment is healthy, with 33,000 more pho-
tographers than in 1971 and an unemploy-
ment rate of only 2.8%.
Figure XVII
Photographers: unemployment rate 1971-80
29
Figure XVIII
Radio-TV announcers : employment trends 1971-80
-15,000
-10,000
- 5,000
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980*
30
This was the only artist labor force that
decreased during the 1970s, with 28,000
members dropping to about 19,000 by 1980
(a net loss of 32%) . There was some fluc-
tuation in numbers — loss in the early part
of the decade, growth in the middle, and
renewed loss from 1976 to 1980. Because
many radio-TV announcers apparently aban-
doned the field, the unemployment rate for
this occupation was low toward the end of
the decade — amounting to less than 1% in
1980 in contrast with the 9.8% unemployment
rate of 1971.
Figure XIX
Radio-TV announcers: unemployment rate 1971-80
31
Figure XX
Teachers of art, drama, and music in higher education : employment trends 1971-80
1978
1979 1980
-10,000
- 5,000
32
The labor force for this occupation group
made only a moderate gain of 28% during the
1970s. The labor force grew substantially
during the 1971-78 period, numbering as
many as 45,000 in 1978, but dropped to a-
bout 37,000 between 1978 and 1980, probably
as the result of general decline in enroll-
ments at colleges and universities. Most
of the 8,000 former teachers found work in
other occupations or dropped out of the
labor force entirely because they fail to
figure in teacher unemployment totals. In
general, employment was high for this group
during the decade, with unemployment peak-
ing at slightly more than 5% in 1977 (prob-
ably reflecting an oversupply that presaged
the declines of 1978-80) and down to 2.5%
by 1980.
Figure XXI
Teachers of art, drama, and music in higher education : unemployment rate 1971-80
•Not plotted because unemployment level below 500 persons.
- 8«
lOt
I
— I
~l
— I
- 1
T
— I —
— I —
1 9 M
33
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
DETAILED TABLES
APPENDIX B
RELIABILITY OF CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS)
STATISTICS
CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) AS A SOURCE
OF ARTIST OCCUPATION DATA
35
APPENDIX A
DETAILED TABLES (2 AND 3)
Table 2
Labor force levels in artist occupations by sex 1971-80
■■■■■■■■■■■■
Occupation
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
All professional and
technical workers
Male
Female
11,416,000
6,933,000
4,483,000
11,741,000
7,110,000
4,631,000
12,037,000
7,186,000
4,852,000
12,623,000
7,482,000
5,142,000
13,173,000
7,700,000
5,474,000
13,769,000
7,933,000
5,836,000
Actors
Male
Female
Architects
Male
Female
Authors
Male
Female
Dancers
Male
Female
Designers
Male
Female
Musicians/composers
Male
Female
Painters/sculptors
Male
Female
Photographers
Male
Female
Radio-TV announcers
Male
Female
Teachers (higher ed.)*
Male
Female
Other artists
Male
Female
19,000
11,000
8,000
18,000
13,000
5,000
16,000
7,000
8,000
19,000
11,000
8,000
20,000
13,000
7,000
23,000
13,000
9,000
70,000
67,000
3,000
68,000
66,000
2,000
74,000
72,000
2,000
73,000
71,000
2,000
74,000
71,000
3,000
64,000
62,000
2,000
33,000
21,000
12,000
31,000
18,000
13,000
39,000
18,000
20,000
47,000
27,000
21,000
47,000
26,000
20,000
49,000
25,000
24,000
10,000
1,000
9,000
6,000
1,000
5,000
10,000
3,000
7,000
7,000
1,000
5,000
8,000
3,000
5,000
7,000
2,000
5,000
106,000
78,000
28,000
113,000
91,000
21,000
125,000
98,000
27,000
132,000
99,000
33,000
135,000
103,000
34,000
147,000
112,000
35,000
126,000
82,000
45,000
130,000
92,000
39,000
129,000
88,000
41,000
146,000
102,000
44,000
151,000
104,000
47,000
165,000
113,000
52,000
130,000
82,000
48,000
137,000
78,000
60,000
141,000
80,000
60,000
154,000
89,000
65,000
155,000
84,000
72,000
164,000
89,000
75,000
81,000
67,000
13,000
80,000
67,000
13,000
76,000
63,000
13,000
79,000
67,000
13,000
81,000
67,000
14,000
93,000
79,000
14,000
28,000
25,000
1,000
24,000
22,000
1,000
19,000
18,000
1,000
21,000
19,000
2,000
24,000
22,000
2,000
28,000
27,000
1,000
29,000
20,000
9,000
30,000
21,000
9,000
34,000
22,000
11,000
35-, 000
21,000
14,000
39,000
22,000
17,000
41,000
25,000
15,000
65,000
48,000
16,000
69,000
46,000
23,000
74,000
47,000
27,000
73,000
46,000
26,000
89,000
58,000
30,000
85,000
53,000
32,000
All artists
Male
Female
697,000
504,000
192,000
706,000
515,000
191,000
737,000
516,000
217,000
786,000
553,000
233,000
823,000
573,000
251,000
866,000
600,000
264,000
Note: Male plus female labor force may not equal occupation total due to rounding.
* Art, drama, and music.
■HHHH
1977
1978
1980
14,118,000
3,044,000
6,074,000
14,626,000
8,326,000
6, 300,000
15,422,000
8,692,000
6,740,000
16,008,000
8,869,000
7,137,000
21,000
12,000
10,000
30,000
17,000
12,000
28,000
16,000
12,000
23,000
14,000
9,000
60,000
58,000
3,000
71,000
66,000
4,000
85,000
79,000
5,000
92,000
86,000
6,000
49,000
31,000
19,000
54,000
33,000
21,000
56,000
30,000
26,000
71,000
41,000
31,000
9,000
3,000
5,000
9,000
3,000
7,000
10,000
2,000
8,000
12,000
2,000
10,000
151,000
115,000
37,000
166,000
120,000
.0 00
184,000
131,000
53,000
198,000
139,000
60,000
167,000
117,000
50,000
0,000
112,000
48,000
154,000
101,000
53,000
153,000
108,000
44,000
183,000
101,000
83,000
191,000
103,000
87,000
193,000
105,000
89,000
199,000
000
101,000
86,000
. 100
1 1,000
100
000
14,000
.000
86,000
100
114,000
.000
24,000
. 000
. 000
100
000
100
'00
18,000
.000
100
19,000
14.000
000
4 1,000
28,000
000
45,000
100
16,000
'.000
000
14,000
1 .000
000
18,000
8 1,000
.000
10,000
ooo
000
31 ,000
000
. 000
.000
,000
.000
000
878,000
934,000
643,000
289,000
.000
.000
320,000
1,020,000
.000
.000
37
Table 3
Labor force, employment, and unemployment in artist occupations 1971-80
^■■■i
Occupation
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
All professional and
technical workers
Employed
Unemployed
11,416,000
11,085,000
331,000
11,741,000
11,459,000
282,000
12,037,000
11,777,000
260,000
12,623,000
12,338,000
285,000
13,173,000
12,748,000
425,000
13,769,000
13,329,000
440,000
Unemployment
rate
2.9%
2.4%
2.2%
2.3%
3.2%
3.2%
Actors
Employed
Unemployed
19,000
10,000
9,000
18,000
10,000
8,000
16,000
9,000
7,000
19,000
10,000
9,000
20,000
13,000
7,000
23,000
16,000
7,000
Unemployment
Architects
Employed
Unemployed
rate
47.5%
44.0%
45.1%
47.7%
34.8%
31.1%
70,000
69,000
1,000
68,000
66,000
2,000
74,000
73,000
1,000
73,000
71,000
2,000
74,000
70,000
4,000
64,000
63,000
1,000
Unemployment
Authors
Employed
Unemployed
rate
1.0%
3.3%
1.9%
2.7%
5.4%
2. 3%
33,000
31,000
2,000
31,000
30,000
1,000
39,000
38,000
1,000
47,000
46,000
1,000
47,000
45,000
2,000
49,000
48,000
1,000
Unemployment
Dancers
Employed
Unemployed
rate
6.0%
2.5%
1.7%
2.9%
3.6%
2.1%
10,000
7,000
3,000
6,000
5,000
1,000
10,000
8,000
2,000
7,000
5,000
2,000
8,000
6,000
2,000
7,000
3,000
4,000
Unemployment
Designers
Employed
Unemployed
rate
*
*
*
*
*
*
106,000
99,000
7,000
113,000
110,000
3,000
125,000
123,000
2,000
132,000
129,000
3,000
135,000
125,000
10,000
147,000
142,000
5,000
Unemployment rate
Musicians/composers
Employed
Unemployed
6.2%
2.5%
1.8%
2.3%
7.6%
3.6%
126,000
116,000
10,000
130,000
121,000
9,000
129,000
120,000
9,000
146,000
140,000
6,000
151,000
139,000
12,000
165,000
150,000
15,000
Unemployment rate
Painters/ sculptors
Employed
Unemployed
7.7%
6.9%
7.2%
3.9%
7.7%
9.1%
130,000
125,000
5,000
137,000
129,000
8,000
141,000
136,000
5,000
154,000
149,000
5,000
155,000
146,000
9,000
164,000
153,000
11,000
Unemployment rate
Photographers
Employed
Unemployed
3.7%
5.9%
3.5%
3.1%
5.9%
6.5%
81,000
77,000
4,000
80,000
77,000
3,000
76,000
75,000
1,000
79,000
78,000
1,000
81,000
76,000
5,000
93,000
87,000
6,000
Unemployment rate
Radio-TV announcers
Employed
Unemployed
4.4%
4.1%
1.7%
1.9%
6.5%
6.7%
28,000
25,000
3,000
24,000
22,000
2,000
19,000
18,000
1,000
21,000
20,000
1,000
24,000
22,000
2,000
28,000
26,000
2,000
Unemployment
Teachers (high
Employed
Unemployed
rate
er ed. ) **
9.8%
7.3%
5.7%
6.0%
8. 7%
8.3%
29,000
29,000
*
30,000
30,000
*
34,000
34,000
*
35,000
35,000
*
39,u00
38,000
1,000
41,000
39,000
2,000
Unemployment rate
Other artists
Employed
Unemployed
*
*
*
*
2.9%
4.6%
65,000
60,000
5,000
69,000
66,000
3,000
74,000
72,000
2,000
73,000
70,000
3,000
89,000
84,000
5,000
85,000
79,000
6,000
Unemployment
rate
7.4%
4.4%
2.9%
3.5%
5.2%
6.5%
All artists
Employed
Unemployed
697,000
648,000
49,000
706,000
666,000
40,000
737,000
706,000
31,000
786,000
753,000
33,000
823,000
764,000
59,000
866,000
807,000
59,000
Unemployment
rate
7.0%
5.7%
4.4%
4.2%
7.2%
6.8%
Note: Employed plus unemployed may not equal occupation total due to rounding. Unemployment rates are
computed based on unrounded estimates of the unemployment and labor force levels.
* Data base is too small to provide a meaningful estimate (labor force of 10,000 or less;
unemployment level below 500).
** Art, drama, and music.
^■■■■■H
1977
1978
1979
1980
14,118,000
14,626,000
15,422,000
16,008,000
13,692,000
14,245,000
15,049,000
15,613,000
426,000
381,000
373,000
395,000
3.0%
2.6%
2.4%
2.5%
21,000
30,000
28,000
23,000
13,000
21,000
18,000
15,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
8,000
38.5%
30.5%
35.8%
35.4%
60,000
71,000
85,000
92,000
58,000
69,000
84,000
90,000
2,000
2,000
1,000
2,000
3.6%
2.6%
.6%
1.7%
49,000
54,000
56,000
71,000
47,000
53,000
55,000
70,000
2,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
3.5%
1.4%
2.6%
1.9%
9,000
9,000
10,000
12,000
8,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
*
*
*
14.2%
151,000
166,000
184,000
198,000
146,000
161,000
179,000
193,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
}.
3.3%
2.6%
.6%
167,000
160,000
154,000
153,000
154,000
149,000
145,000
143,000
13,000
11,000
9,000
10,000
7.8%
6.6%
6.1%
6.2%
183,000
191,000
193,000
199,000
177,000
186,000
189,000
195,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
4,000
.
2.7%
2.0%
. 2%
86,000
97,000
111,000
114,000
81,000
93,000
107,000
111,000
5,000
4,000
4,000
3,000
5.'
4.2%
3.
9%
.100
22,000
19,000
">00
25,000
21,000
18,000
19,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
•
4.6%
4.0%
4.2%
«
43,000
45,000
.000
41,000
44,000
38,000
36,000
2,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
5.1*
1.8%
3.0%
5%
.100
89,000
90,000
102,000
78,000
84,000
86,000
100
5,000
5,000
4,000
6,000
6.6%
5.9%
4.
. 0%
878,000
4,000
969,000
1,020,000
3,000
889,000
928,000
8,000
50,000
45,000
41,000
100
5.7%
4.8%
4.
4.1%
39
APPENDIX B
RELIABILITY OF CURRENT POPULATION
SURVEY (CPS) STATISTICS
The data in this report are based on respon-
ses obtained from the Current Population
Survey which collects information from a
representative sample rather than from ev-
ery person in the nation. The statistics
are therefore subject to sampling error, or
sampling variability as it is also known.
Precise measure of sampling error calls for
comparison of the figure obtained from a
complete count or census with one arrived
at from a sample. Since this is not possi-
ble, a "standard error" representing the
average deviation of all possible samples
is generally used as indication of how well
an estimate from a sample approximates a
complete count. The Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics publishes standard error tables
from which figures relevant to the artist
occupation samples can be extracted.
Sampling variability occurs in both direc-
tions, plus and minus, and small errors oc-
cur more often than larger errors, so that
about 68% of the time, variability will be
less than the standard error. About 90%
of the time, the figure based on a complete
count would be in the range of plus or mi-
nus 1.6 times the standard error of the
estimate. The term "confidence interval"
is used to designate such levels of prob-
ability. The range from the standard er-
ror below the estimate to the standard
error above it is called the 68% confidence
interval. The range from 1.6 times the
standard error below the estimate to 1.6
times the standard error above it is called
the 90% confidence interval.
treme , the standard error for 199,000 es-
timated painters/sculptors is 13,000 or
almost 7%. Because these sampling errors
are so large relative to the standard er-
ror of less than 1% for all professional
and technical workers, this report focuses
on the differing labor force sizes among
the occupations and the long term (over-
the-decade) trends. This analytic approach
is considered to be the best when using da-
ta with relatively high sampling errors.
Bureau of the Census Technical Paper 32,
Standards for Discussion and Presentation
of Errors in Data , states that ". . .estimates
that are subject to large relative sampling
errors frequently are small and the fact
that the estimate is small is often suffi-
cient information to be meaningful." Sim-
ilarly, "The Analysis of Labor Statistics, "
available from the Branch of International
Training, Bureau of Labor Statistics (mim-
eographed, revised 1979), notes that the
analyst who observes consistent decline
in successive months "may discern that
there is an overall trend developing, even
though the change from month to month is
not significant (greater than the standard
error) . "
Table 4 provides the standard error and 68%
and 90% confidence intervals for labor
force, employment, and unemployment esti-
mates for each of the artist occupations in
1980. Designers, for example, had an esti-
mated labor force of 198,000 in 1980. The
standard error for this estimate was 13, 000.
Thus, the actual number in the designer la-
bor force has a 68% probability of being
somewhere between 185,000 and 211,000.
There is a 90% probability that the number
is somewhere between 177,000 and 219,000
(198,000 plus and minus 1.6 times 13,000) .
Many of the estimates for artist occupa-
tions shown in Table 4 have large standard
errors relative to the size of the estimate.
The small 12,000 labor force estimate for
dancers has a 3,000 standard error — or 25%
of the estimate; and even at the other ex-
40
Table 4
Standard errors and confidence intervals for artist labor force,
employment, and unemployment 1980
Standard
68% confidence
90% confidence
Estimates
error
interval
interval
Occupations
for 1980
(+ or -)
(range)
(range)
All professional and
technical workers
16,008,000
121,000
15,887,000-16,129,000
15
814,000-16,202,000
Employed
15,613,000
119,000
15,494,000-15,732,000
15
423,000-15,803,000
Unemployed
395,000
19,000
376,000-414,000
365,000-415,000
Unemployment
rate
2.5"*
.1%
2.4-2.6%
2.3-2.7%
Actors
23,000
5,000
18,000-28,000
15,000-31,000
Employed
15,000
4,000
11,000-19,000
9,000-21,000
Unemployed
8,000
3,000
5,000-11,000
3,000-13,000
Unemployment
Architects
rate
35.4%
9.8%
25.6-4
19.7-5.
92,000
9,000
83,000-101,000
78,000-106,000
Employed
90,000
9,000
81,000-99,000
76,000-104,000
Unemployed
2,000
1,000
1,000-3,000
0-4,000
Unemployment
Authors
rate
1.7%
1.3%
.0%
0-3.8%
71,000
8,000
63,000-79,000
58,000-84,000
Employed
70,000
8,000
62,000-78,000
57,000-83,000
Unemployed
1,000
1,000
0-2,000
0-3,000
Unemployment
Dancers
rate
1.9%
1.6%
.3-3.5%
0-4.5%
12,000
3,000
9,000-15,000
7,000-17,000
Employed
10,000
3,000
7,000-13,000
5,000-15,000
Unemployed
2,000
2,000
0-3,000
0-5.000
Unemployment
Designers
rate
14.2%
9.8%
4.4-24.0%
0-29.9%
198,000
13,000
185,000-211,000
177,000-219,000
Employed
193,000
13,000
180,000-196,000
172,000-214,000
Unemployed
5,000
2,000
3,000-7,000
2,000-8,000
Unemployment rate
Musicians/composers
2.6%
1.3%
1.3-3.9%
.5-4.7%
153,000
12,000
141,000-165,000
134,000-172,000
Employed
143,000
11,000
132,000-154,000
125,000-161.000
Unemployed
10,000
3,000
7,000-13,000
5,000-15,000
Unemployment rate
Pa inters/ sculp tors
6.2%
2.1%
4 • A ™ o • J*
2.8-9.
199,000
13,000
186,000-212,000
178,000-220,000
Employed
195,000
13,000
182,000-208,000
174,000-216,000
Unemployed
4,000
2,000
2,000-6,000
1,000-7,000
Unemployment
Photographers
rate
2.2%
1.2%
1.0-3.4%
-4.1%
114,000
10,000
104,000-124,000
98,000-130,000
Employed
111,000
10,000
101,000-121,000
95,000-127,000
Unemployed
3,000
2,000
1,000-5,000
0-6,000
Unemployment rate
Radio-TV announcers
2.8%
1.5%
1. 3-4.1%
.4
19,000
4,000
15,000-23,000
100-25, 000
Employed
19,000
4,000
15,000-23,000
13,000-25,000
iployed
»
•
*
♦
Unemployment
Teachers (high
er ad.)**
♦
*
•
37,000
6,000
31,000-43,000
000
Employed
too
6,000
30,000-42,000
100-46,000
Unemployed
1 ,000
1,000
2.5%
0-2,000
0-3,000
Unemployment rate
Other artists
0-5.0%
0-f
102,000
10,000
92,000-112,000
86,000-118,000
Employed
96,000
9,000
87,000-105,000
82,000-110,000
Unemployed
6,000
2,000
00-8,000
100-9,000
Unemployment
lemployment rates and leve. lot shovi
** Art, drama, and music.
oloyme- i be belc*
41
CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) AS A
SOURCE OF ARTIST OCCUPATION DATA
The Current Population Survey is a 60,000-
household general population survey that
is conducted monthly by the Bureau of the
Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Its primary function is to provide the
information necessary to compute national
employment and unemployment statistics.
Because comparatively specific questions a-
bout the respondent's occupation are includ-
ed in the survey, it is possible to derive
employment and unemployment statistics for
each occupation coded by the Census Bureau.
Information about the major occupation
groupings is published monthly by the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics, while data on
smaller, more closely defined, occupation-
al categories are issued annually. The an-
nual figures for 19 71 through 19 80 are used
in this report.
The two major advantages CPS offers as a
source of information about artists are:
1. National estimates for several char-
acteristics of artist occupations which
are directly comparable to the estimates
for other occupations (because the survey,
which uses a nationally representative
sample, asks similar questions of all re-
spondents) .
2. Regular periodic collection of data
which may be used for trend analysis.
The decennial census offers similar advan-
tages in terms of comparability and regular
intervals of collection but the intervals
are full decades. On the other hand, the
vastly larger size of the decennial census
makes for greater data reliability. Clear-
ly, both sources can and should be used,
with the decennial censuses serving as
benchmarks for the CPS.
A third source of data on artist occupa-
tions derived from a general population sur-
vey using the same questions to determine
the occupation of the respondents as the
CPS and decennial censuses is the 1976 Sur-
vey of Income and Education. This was a
nationally representative sample survey of
approximately 150,000 households. Because
the sample size is larger than the CPS and,
hence, offered statistics of greater reli-
ability, Research Division Report #12 used
this survey as a "mid-decade" benchmark and
compared it with 1970 census results.
While these three sources have the advantage
of providing comparable national occupation-
al statistics, they share several important
limitations insofar as artists are concern-
ed. The survey questions identify only the
respondent's "primary occupation" (one in
which the most hours are worked) rather
than all jobs held. Other studies indi-
cate that many artists work simultaneously
in other occupations; these individuals
would not be counted as artists unless
more time was devoted to the art occupa-
tion than to a second job. Another limi-
tation derives from the fact that the oc-
cupational classification system used by
the Census Bureau during the 1970s did not
specifically provide for some artist oc-
cupations. Because no single occupational
code explicitly included craft artists , for
example, no estimate for this population
can be extracted. (The 1980 census includes
such artists under an expanded painters
and sculptors code.)
Other data collection methods have been
used by the Research Division to gain per-
spectives en the artist population which
are not possible through the general pop-
ulation surveys. For example, in studying
the American craft artist population, the
Division contacted all known craft member-
ship organizations to determine number of
members and in what media they worked.
(See Research Division Report #13, Craft
Artist Membership Organizations 1978 . )
A representative sample of craft artists
was selected and surveyed on the basis of
resulting information. Concurrently, a
sample of craft artists was selected from
exhibitors at galleries and fairs and craft
publication subscribers to learn about
affiliation (or nonaf filiation) with craft
membership organizations and to compare
member and nonmember characteristics.
These studies provide a basis for esti-
mating size and characteristics of the
craft artist population which would not be
possible from general population surveys.
42
REPORTS IN THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR
THE ARTS RESEARCH DIVISION SERIES
Since 1976 the Research Division of the
National Endowment for the Arts has been
studying matters of interest to the arts
community and issuing reports based on its
findings. Copies of the reports may be or-
dered from the Publishing Center for Cul-
tural Resources, 625 Broadway, New York
City 10012 at the prices noted below.
Checks should be made payable to "Publish-
ing Center. " Prices include postage and
handling; no state or local sales tax is
applicable .
#1 Employment and Unemployment of Artists :
1970-1975. 32 pages. April 1976. $2.50
#2 To Survey American Crafts: A Planning
Study. 32 pages. July 1977. $2.50
#3 Understanding the Employment of Actors.
36 pages. September 1977. $2.00
#4 Arts and Cultural Programs on Radio and
Television. 92 pages. September 1977. $3.50
#5 Where Artists Live: 1970. 80 pages.
October 1977. $3.00
#6 Economic Impact of Arts and Cultural
Institutions: A Model for Assessment and
a Case Study in Baltimore. 96 pages.
November 1977. $3.50
#14 Audience Development: An Examination
of Selected Analysis and Prediction Tech-
niques Applied to Symphony and Theatre At-
tendance in Four Southern Cities. 4 8
pages. January 1981. ISBN 0-89062-097-0
$2.50
#15 Economic Impact of Arts and Cultural
Institutions: Case Studies in Columbus,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Salt Lake
City, San Antonio, and Springfield. 102
pages. January 1981. ISBN 0-89062-106-3
$3.50
#16 Artist Employment
1971-1980. 44 pages.
ISBN 0-89062-135-7 $3.
and Unemployment
January 1982.
00
#7 Minorities and Women in the Arts
32 pages. January 1978. $2.50
1970
#8 The State Arts Agencies in 1974:
Present and Accounted For. 160 pages
April 1978. $4.50
All
#9 Audience Studies of the Performing Arts
and Museums: A Critical Review. 106 pages.
November 1978. $3.00
#10 Self-Employment, Migration, and House-
hold and Family Characteristics of Artists:
1970. 32 pages. November 1978. $2.00
#11 Conditions and Needs of the Profes-
sional American Theatre. 120 pages. Jan-
uary 1980. ISBN 0-89062-076-8 $4.50
#12 Artists Compared by Age, Sex, and
Earnings in 1970 and 1976. 54 pages.
January 1980. ISBN 0-89062-0 77-6 $2.50
#13 Craft Artist Membership Organizations
1978. 48 pages. January 1981. ISBN
0-89062-089-X $2.50
LI
43
Produced and distributed by Publishing Center tor Cultural Resources, 625 Broadway, New York City 10012. Price (incl. postage): $3.
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